The Department Store – Brixton

An architectural showcase and revival

Requirements:Sustainable materials as modern alternative to steel, continuing the building’s evolution.

Awards:3x 2018 RIBA Regional Awards and a 2018 RIBA National Award

Six beautiful linked lantern oak frames house a rooftop bar and dining room above an impressive renovation of a historic London department store. Carpenter Oak provided the perfect modern but natural addition to the building’s expertly renewed iconic style.

An oak frame for an exemplary renovation

A Carpenter Oak frame has transformed the roof of an old department store in central London. Part of an elegant renovation of the space by architects Squire and Partners, the frame provides a striking crown to this smartly conceived building.

Green oak was used to create a series of spacious timber framed areas, with integrated glazing allowing light to pour into the bar, lounge and restaurant. Guests and members can enjoy both dining inside or outside, and social spaces and views out across the London skyline.

Building on top of a three storey building in central London presented some logistical challenges. From start to finish, this was carefully planned by the Carpenter Oak team. A crawler crane was dismantled, hoisted up to the roof, then reassembled.

The rooftop crane hoisted the 50 tonnes of components. The site installation was undertaken by the CO team. This included oak colonnades and a dragon beam roof with the six metre diameter room lanterns.

A stunning space deserves a striking finish

In 2015, Squire and Partners, a large architectural practice in London, purchased a dilapidated Edwardian building. Originally built by a South London businessman in 1876, it was the first purpose-built department store in the UK and the UK’s first steel frame building.

The building has had a varied life, including being used as an air raid shelter during the second world war. It continued to trade as department store ‘Bon Marche’ up until 1981, after which it slowly declined, and was declared derelict.

The building enjoyed a brief new lease of life in the 80s as part of the regeneration of Brixton Town Centre. Now thoroughly revived, it is home to the 220-strong Squire and Partners team, having been strikingly transformed into a creative hub which expertly showcases the building’s artistic and structural historic features. Every space tells a story and honours the past of this reinvigorated, buzzing building.

Working with Carpenter Oak was a fantastic example of working with true craftspeople who have mastered generations of skills working with timber. The original decorated frame of The Department Store was used as the inspiration for the new structure, which was purer in form and had a natural beauty and clarity.